Kiss the Girl
by Quickening
Summary: Yami and Anzu have just finished their first date, and now Yami has no idea what he's supposed to do next. Yugi always seems to have good advice. Too bad, he seems to have vanished into thin air. What's a poor, amnesic Pharaoh to do?


_Just a l__ittle one-shot story I wrote a few years ago, set in the original YGO universe, directly after the episode with Anzu and Yami's "date". Don't ask me to remember which episode it was or what it was called. But I don't think it ended nearly as well as it could have, what with that stupid duel they had to shove in and everything. This is my effort to fix that.  
_

_FYI, this is a Yami and Anzu pairing story. If you don't like that pairing … then why the hell are you even _here_?_

_Disclaimers: I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters from the show. I do own this story. Steal it and die. _

_  
Kiss the Girl  
by Quickening_

He was nervous.

The King of Games, the former Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, the always smooth and self-assured one, was actually nervous. His palms were sweaty, his heart was pounding, and he was sure he was sweating a little as he faced his newest, and so far greatest, challenge.

Namely … how to properly bid a girl farewell.

He'd had a surprisingly wonderful time that day, after his other half had so sneakily tricked him into spending most of it with Anzu. After the first supremely awkward half-hour or so, he'd managed to relax and let himself have fun for the first time in, well, a very long time.

It had definitely helped that Anzu had done her best to be cheerful and considerate, even though it couldn't have been any less uncomfortable for her. They really didn't know each other, after all, never mind that he happened to share the body of her best friend. She'd obviously realized he would have no idea what he was supposed to _do_ on this strange, modern custom called a "date". He could barely remember anything from his past life; it stood to reason that he'd know next to nothing about any sort of customs in _this_ one. But Anzu was a patient teacher and more than willing to help him out, even though a certain _someone_ had managed to make _his_ presence disappear during the duration of the outing.

Now, the day was drawing to a close, and so was their date. After a pleasant walk home, Yami found himself at Anzu's door; the setting sun gilded her hair with golden highlights as she faced him with a whimsical smile and large, expectant eyes.

And he had absolutely no idea what to do next.

_I could really use your help on this, Yugi,_ he thought. Yet again, he was rewarded with Yugi's silence and fought to hold back an annoyed growl. He'd forgotten how much of an imp his lighter half could occasionally be, and Yugi had apparently decided to remind him with this little vanishing act. Anzu really did appear to be _expecting_ something, but he had no idea what it might be. His pride, of course, refused to allow him to simply _ask_ her.

"Thanks for putting up with me today," Anzu said after a few long moments of silence. She seemed to realize that whatever it was she expected wasn't going to be delivered anytime soon. Her voice jerked Yami out of his inner musings and he blinked at her, almost as if he'd forgotten she was there. "I hope it wasn't too boring for you," she added, a bit awkwardly. "I hope the museum helped you to sort a few things out."

"Yes—I mean, no, it wasn't boring. Not at all," he replied, stammering in the face of her brilliant smile. "I greatly enjoyed myself today. Thank you."

Her smile brightened further, a blush touching her cheeks. "Oh, you don't need to thank me. I was glad to help! I'm sure you'll eventually remember everything and find what you're meant to do, and until you do, you have me!" Her eyes widened, the blush deepening. "Er … I mean _us_," she amended hastily. "Y-you have all of _us."_

"Yes. Thank you." He smiled a little, admiring the way the dying sunlight cast a glowing halo in her chestnut hair. Then, before he knew what he was saying, "Perhaps we can … do this again sometime?"

"R-really?" She looked adorably surprised, pleased, even a little flustered.

"Of course. Despite what you may believe, I do enjoy spending time with my friends."

He was surprised to see a flash of disappointment in her eyes. "Oh. Yes, of course. Your friends," she replied around a forced little laugh. He tilted his head at the odd note of frustration, even a bit of hurt, in her tone.

"Anzu ...?"

"I'd better go in," she said quickly. "Thank you for spending time with me today. I really enjoyed myself, and I'm glad you did, too. Especially when we got to whoop that guy's ass at the arcade!" She flashed a wolfish grin at the memory, surprising a chuckle out of him.

There was another moment of hesitation, another expectant look, but when he merely returned it curiously, she seemed to deflate a bit. Giving herself a mental shake, she bowed to him, then turned to enter the house with a soft farewell.

Yami breathed a huge sigh of relief as he walked slowly back to Yugi's house. He couldn't help but feel as though he'd just missed out on something important.

~*~*~*~*~

Yugi was sprawled out on the bed, the covers showing right through the translucent spirit-form he wore when Yami was in control of his body. He was staring at the ceiling with an incredibly bored expression on his face. As soon as Yami entered the room, however, the boredom was instantly replaced with eager questioning. "So, how'd it go? Did you learn anything? Did you have a good time? Did you ask her out again? Did you get to kiss her? What was it like?"

Yami could only stand and blink in the face of such rapid-fire questions, waiting until Yugi ran out of breath (which took awhile, considering he wasn't technically _breathing_ at the moment) before attempting to sort them all out. "It went … well," he began hesitantly. "I did learn some things, which I'll discuss with you later once I've sorted them out a bit more, and yes, I had a good time. It was … an enjoyable day."

He had especially enjoyed the part where he'd gotten to watch Anzu dance. She always spoke of dancing, of how much she loved it, and now he fully understood why she wanted to pursue it so badly. To say she'd been good was an understatement. She'd been … _incredible_. He had never seen such dancing before. He had always thought Anzu was a pretty girl, but when she'd been caught up in the passion and joy of her dancing, she was far more than merely pretty. She'd been breathtaking. She had absolutely _glowed_.

"_And?_"

The question brought the spirit out of his thoughts; Yugi was looking at him expectantly, a lot like Anzu had been looking at him from her doorstep. He fought back a flash of annoyance. "And what?" he grumbled.

Yugi rolled his eyes in a "duh!" gesture. "Did you ask her out again? What did she say?"

"I … did," he admitted, still surprised at himself for having done so. "She seemed … pleased with the idea."

"Great!" Yugi crowed.

Yami cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I mean … I'm glad you two are getting along so well," he added a bit sheepishly. "Yami, you know, Anzu really _likes_ you. Well, she'd never actually _admit_ it, of course, but I can tell." He nodded wisely, and Yami felt his face grow hot, to his eternal discomfiture. "Now answer my last question!" Yugi demanded, bouncing eagerly on the bed. "Did you kiss her?"

Yami choked. "I—Wha—No! I most certainly did _not_ kiss her," he sputtered, and even the back of his neck was hot from the blush spreading across his face. "Th-that's _hardly_ appropriate behavior for—"

"What are you talking about?" Yugi scoffed, looking exasperated. "A kiss? Come on, Yami, that's how most dates end these days. It's practically tradition!"

Yami's brow furrowed as he recalled Anzu's hopeful expression. Was that what she had been waiting for? A kiss? Was that why she'd seemed so disappointed when she'd finally gone inside?

But … a kiss? With _Anzu_? His stomach gave a strange, pleasant sort of lurch at the thought. He had never considered doing _that_ sort of thing with a girl before. He was always too focused on finding his identity and dueling for the fate of the world and other such things. He'd never tried to figure dating into the equation, and judging by what little he could glean from his memories, he didn't think he'd been very experienced in the ways of romance in _that_ life, either.

"I can't believe you didn't kiss her," Yugi sighed, flopping back on the mattress. "Poor Anzu. I'll bet she was disappointed." He didn't notice Yami's slight flinch. "Well, I guess it isn't _your_ fault. It's not like you knew or anything. Besides, if you're gonna go out with her again, you'll have more chances. Just don't blow 'em this time."

Yami chose not to dignify that remark with a response, instead relinquishing control of his body back to his lighter half. He drifted to the windowsill and stared out at the darkening night, lost in thought.

Yugi changed his clothes, then crawled back into bed; Yami's date had worn his body out, it seemed. "So," he said around a yawn, "when're you gonna go out with Anzu again?"

It occurred to Yami that he'd forgotten to ask.

~*~*~*~*~

The trouble with not having a body was that he never got tired. Oh, his spirit could become weary, but it wasn't the kind of weariness that sleep could overcome. He couldn't fall into unconscious oblivion the way a mortal body could. No matter how much he rested, his mind was always active, always thinking, and at the moment, it was thinking about his date with Anzu. Or more specifically, about the _end _of his date with Anzu

He couldn't get the image of her disappointed eyes out of his head. He felt … guilty for having let her down, for not having thought to kiss her goodbye as Yugi said he ought to have done. He doubted Anzu would hold it against him. She wasn't the sort of person to hold grudges, but he still felt badly for disappointing her after she'd tried so hard to help him and cheer him up.

He also couldn't help wondering _why_ she'd been disappointed. Had she wanted his kiss so badly? Yugi insisted that Anzu _liked_ him, and he knew he wasn't talking about the mere liking friends felt for other friends.

Yami knew he shouldn't do anything more to encourage the girl, such as taking her out on another date. He was, after all, only a spirit living in a borrowed body, searching for the answers to his forgotten past. From what he'd learned so far, it seemed his future was looking a little sketchy, as well. Anzu was someone special; she deserved more than anything _he_ could offer. All the same, he couldn't help feeling a little flattered that the girl felt so strongly toward him, mystifying as the reasons were.

Until today, he had never considered Anzu as an individual so much as "Yugi's childhood friend". She was always there, in the background, shouting encouragement during his battles, keeping Jounouchi and Honda in line when they needed it. He had kept his distance from all of them—after all, they were Yugi's friends, not his, and he never wished to intrude—but over the months he had allowed a tentative friendship to develop between himself and the two boys, which Yugi highly encouraged.

But not Anzu. It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to snub her or anything; he simply never had anything to talk about. She seemed to have very little in common with the boys. She was mature and intelligent, for one thing, and she lacked the same passion for playing Duel Monsters that the rest of them shared, whereas Duel Monsters was the only thing Yami _knew_.

Now that he'd spent so much time with her today, however, he realized he would never be able to keep her in the background again. She had finally caught his full attention, and with it, his interest. She had already proven herself a valuable friend, with an open heart and genuine affection for anyone she felt deserved it, including him. Yami was a bit ashamed of himself for being so indifferent to her for so long, even though she'd always been there to offer support. Until she had come into his life, he'd almost forgotten what caring about others was like.

He had the urge to see her again, to thank her for helping him open up and realize his destiny, and maybe to apologize for his lack of understanding outside her door when he'd left her. He hated to see her looking at him like that, no matter how briefly. He wanted to do something for her to make up for it.

He abruptly turned and drifted to Yugi's bedside. "Yugi," he whispered, reaching out to shake him. Unlike with other people while in spirit form, his hand didn't pass through Yugi's body, but landed solidly on it. He _could_ affect objects and such around him, but only if he concentrated on what he was touching. With Yugi, however, any physical contact always came without thought or effort. Neither of them pretended to understand how it worked. Maybe it was because of their connection through the puzzle, or maybe simply because they shared a single body. At any rate, he gave Yugi's shoulder a brief, hard shake, and was rewarded with a disgruntled mumble and a pair of sleepy eyes blinking open.

"Whuzmatter, Yami?" Yugi questioned around a huge yawn. "Iztime t' get up already?"

"No. It's only ten thirty. I'm sorry, I know you were sleeping, but … I was wondering if I might borrow your body again for a little while."

Yugi rubbed his eyes. "What for?" he asked, surprised at the strange request. Yami never asked to borrow his body for anything other than dueling opponents, and even then, he never _asked _so much as forcefully took it over. But he was surprisingly shy when it came to life outside Duel Monsters, preferring to keep to the Soul Room and observe events through Yugi's eyes. He would have never willingly agreed to come out and spend the day with Anzu, which was why Yugi had tricked him into it (a fact he secretly gloated over).

Yami hesitated, actually looking embarrassed. "I, erm, I thought I'd take a walk," he muttered sheepishly. "It's a rather nice night out …"

Yugi stared up at him for a moment, then smirked. He'd known from the very beginning that Anzu would be good for the dark, enigmatic spirit. And now, it seemed, the spirit was realizing it, too. "Okay," he said, and in another moment Yami found himself blinking up at the ceiling from the bed. "Just so you know," Yugi continued smugly, "Anzu's parents left two days ago for a business trip of some sort, so she's living by herself right now. You'd better behave yourself over there." He flashed a cheeky grin. "If you need to let yourself in, there's a key hidden in the fake rock outside her door, under the bushes."

Yami could feel his face heating up and inwardly cursed. Stupid mortal body. Were his intentions that obvious? "I … I wasn't—That is ..."

Yugi laughed. "Just don't wear out my body too much, okay? I _do_ have school tomorrow. And I want details! About _everything_."

"Just what are you implying?" Yami huffed indignantly, scrambling to his feet to glower down at his smaller counterpart.

"Nothing," Yugi replied with utmost innocence, which was ruined by the smug grin that refused to leave his face.

Grumbling to himself, Yami turned and stalked from the bedroom … only to be called back by Yugi a moment later. "Yes?" he questioned stiffly.

The damned smirk was still in place. "If you're gonna go see Anzu … don't you think you ought to, I dunno, _change_ first, or something?"

Yami blinked, looked down at the blue-and-red rocketship pajamas adorning his body, and promptly turned red again as Yugi chortled loudly.

~*~*~*~*~

Nobody answered the door when Yami knocked. He waited a moment, knocked again, and then began searching the giant, flowering bush beside the door for a fake rock. He noted with some dismay that Yugi had failed to mention the bush had been _ringed_ with rocks, all of which were distressingly real. He picked up no less than six of them before noticing one that seemed slightly off-color, more of a pale pink than the solid white of the rest of them. He picked it up; it felt light, as if it had been hollowed out. It also rattled. Bingo.

"Anzu?" he called softly as he stepped into the dim house. There was no answer, but he heard a burst of noise coming from just ahead, from what he remembered to be her living room. He'd never visited her house on his own, but he had watched through Yugi's eyes several times when he'd gone visiting, so at least he had some vague idea of its layout.

The noise was coming from the television, which was playing one of those anime shows Yugi had once shown him. It didn't look like a Japanese animation, though, and the language was obviously foreign. He couldn't be certain, but it sounded an awful lot like that tongue Yugi always moaned about having to study, that "In-ger-ish".

A soft sigh and the rustle of fabric made him forget all about the television as he turned to look behind him. And there was Anzu, spread out on the couch with a soft afghan draped over her legs, a plate containing a few crumbs and a half-full glass of milk on the low table beside her. He couldn't keep a smile from spreading over his face at the sight of her. "Asleep, are you?" he murmured as he knelt beside her head to watch her sleeping face, completely unaware of the soft expression covering his own. "Well, never mind then. I shall speak with you some other time," he added, impulsively lifting his hand to brush lean fingers over her cheek, pushing a lock of chestnut hair away from her lips.

~*~*~*~*~

Anzu was having a wonderful dream. She was with Yami again, and they were dancing under the late-night sky, surrounded by moonlight and stars. A soft wind blew, but she wasn't at all cold; the excitement of being with him, of being held in his arms, was more than enough to warm her all the way to her toes. The breeze blew her hair into her face. She laughed for no reason at all, closing her eyes when he reached out to brush the strands away. His long, warm fingers brushed her mouth. And then, suddenly, his lips were there instead, and he was plying her with soft, deep, drugging kisses that sucked all the strength from her legs and turned her body to liquid fire. She had never been kissed before. Even her imagination had never come up with anything so _wonderful_. She moaned with pleasure and reached to hold him, longing to melt into him entirely.

But he was suddenly gone, the soft pressure of his mouth and warmth of his arms disappearing, leaving her cold. She opened her eyes, calling his name … and found herself on her own couch in the darkened living room, with the television still tuned to the American cartoon she'd been watching.

In the flickering blue light, she saw a dark form seated beside her on the coffee table, and bolted up with a sharp gasp of fear before recognizing the familiar, spiky-haired youth who watched her silently. "Y-Yugi?" she stuttered in confusion. Almost before she uttered the name she realized it was _not_ Yugi perched so closely to her, but rather his counterpart; Yugi didn't have such an overwhelming aura as the dark spirit did. She remembered her dream, in vivid detail, and flushed bright red. Had that actually _happened_? But no, Yami sat there perfectly composed, as if he _hadn't_ just been kissing the living breath out of her, whereas her lips were _still_ tingling from the intensity of the dream, no doubt brought on by his mere presence at her side.

She struggled to contain her disappointment.

"Wh-what are—How did you get in here?" she stammered, rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes, if only as an excuse to not look at him. She hoped the room was dark enough so he couldn't see her burning face, but his eyes were sharp, and she'd die of embarrassment if he figured out she'd been dreaming of him like _that_. She only wished she knew if she'd actually called out his name when she woke up, or if that had only been a dream, too. Yami held up a small silver key, which she recognized as her house key. She frowned in confusion. "Did Yugi give that to you?" She didn't even remember giving him one.

"He told me where it was hidden, in the rock," Yami replied. "I hope you don't mind."

"N-no, it's okay. I mean, if _he_ knows, then of course it makes sense that you should, too."

"I'm sorry for disturbing your rest, Anzu," he murmured, standing as if to leave. "I'll leave you now."

"Oh … wait!" A slender hand shot out to grip his, and he blinked down at her, nonplussed. She hastily released him. "I, um, there must have been a reason for you to come. Since you're already here, maybe you should just tell me what it is. Is something wrong?" Her face suddenly brightened. "Did you remember something about your past?"

"No, nothing like that," he replied. "It's only that … I wished to … thank you. For today. For spending time with me and helping me to discover a bit about myself."

She scratched her head. "Well, you already did, remember?" she reminded him shyly, and began plucking at the afghan across her legs. "You know I'm always glad to help you out in any way I can. I mean, what are friends for, right?"

He nodded, watching the top of her head where it bent over the afghan, taking note of how very shy and un-Anzu-like she seemed when speaking with him. Could Yugi have been right? "I also wish to apologize for this afternoon," he continued, carefully watching her reaction. She looked up at him quizzically, her brow furrowed. "When I left you at your door, you seemed rather … disappointed in me. If I did or said anything to injure your feelings, I am sorry."

"Oh." Her eyes widened slightly. "_Oh!_" Her cheeks flushed again as her gaze darted away. "I, um, that was nothing, really. Just … uh … nothing. N-no need to worry about it." She came to a stuttering halt, eyes fixed firmly on her lap.

"I see." There was a moment of silence. Then, "Well, perhaps I had better be going, then. I did promise Yugi I wouldn't stay out in his body for too long."

"Oh. Right, of course," she agreed, hopping to her feet to show him out. As she followed him out to the brightly-lit foyer—he must have turned on the light when he'd come in—she caught a glimpse of herself in the round, deco-art mirror hanging on the wall beside the door, and stopped dead in her tracks. The strange tingling in her lips hadn't faded yet; they still felt bruised, and now she could see why. They actually _looked_ bruised, as if she'd really been kissed. Even more strangely, when she turned to look at Yami, who was quietly waiting for her, she could see what the dark room had hidden before. _His_ lips were also red, a bit swollen, and his high cheeks held a fine blush. His eyes were sharp, watching her intently with a predatory gleam.

"Th-that wasn't a dream!" she blurted out, before quite realizing what she was saying. "You really kissed me, didn't you?"

He smiled slightly. "I also needed to apologize for not ending our date properly," he replied in a voice barely over a whisper. "I merely wished to remedy my earlier lack of manners."

She could feel her face growing hot again. "B-but why not wait 'til I woke up?"

"Forgive me," he murmured, "but I couldn't seem to help myself." He stepped closer to her, and her breath caught when he tilted her chin with long fingers to search her eyes. "Shall I apologize more properly, now that you're awake?"

She looked completely flustered, gazing up at him with wide, astonished eyes; how had he even _known_? She didn't pull away, though, which was very encouraging … and pretty much all the consent he was looking for.

Kissing Anzu, he decided, was the sweetest pleasure he had ever experienced. It was even better now that she was awake enough to properly kiss back. The soft warmth of her full lips clinging to his was enough to make him lightheaded, to send his blood pounding through his heart, his wrists, his veins. How long had it been since he'd _experienced_ such a feeling? Had he ever felt like this before, as if heaven was opening right in front of his eyes? With difficulty, he worked up enough will to release her lips and pull away, his breath deep and unsteady in his throat. Her breathing was quick and shallow as she opened too-bright eyes and met his hungry, lidded gaze. "I trust that was a sufficient apology?" he teased softly.

She was staring at him with something akin to wonder. "Yeah," she breathed.

He smiled, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It seems I have something else to look forward to, the next time we go out on a date." He sighed. "But for now, I really do need to get back. Yugi will be wondering where I am." He smirked faintly. "Or more likely, what I'm _doing_."

"H-he knows you're here?"

"Yes, he knows."

"And … he knows _why_ you came?"

"Does it surprise you? Yugi is well aware of your feelings for me. He seems to approve most readily."

"M-my—! _Approve_? But I'm—N-no, he's wrong! I don't feel like—I mean, it isn't what he—what you think I—"

Anzu's embarrassed stuttering was abruptly cut off by his fingers pressed to her lips. "If your feelings indeed extend beyond mere friendship," he whispered, "you need not hide it from me."

She glanced away. "But I don't want to trouble you with—I mean, it's not like you _asked_ me to fall in love with yo—" She cut herself off, biting her lip to keep the rest of her emotions from spilling out. "A-anyway, you've got to find out who you are. That's the most important thing right now, isn't it?"

A breath of air on her cheek, and then she found her lips encompassed in another long moment of slow, caressing warmth. She was nearly on the verge of swooning before his mouth softly parted from hers, and his arms slipped around her waist in a loose embrace as he nuzzled his cheek to her own. "How could I deign to _ask_ you for such a gift as your heart? It is far more precious to me when it is freely given," he murmured, his voice low and husky in her ear. He raised her hand to it press to his chest, splaying it over his heart, which pounded fiercely under her palm. "And for the record," he added in a whisper, "I will gladly exchange your heart with my own. Please accept it."

He kissed her palm, then released her hand and opened the door behind him, stepping through the doorway and vanishing into the night.

In a daze, Anzu shut the door and leaned back against it, staring dreamily up at the ceiling. A silly grin began to spread itself over her face as she slowly realized what had just happened, and in a fit of girlish delight, hugged herself and let loose an excited little squeak.

"I cannot _wait_ for our next date."


End file.
